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Thanks OlympiaDear Editor, posted 05/06/2008 On San Juan Island, that deficit works out to $600,000 a year, this year, next year and into the foreseeable future. On the table for cuts, every educational program you hold dear: AP classes, special education, ESL, marine science, the entire sports program, art, drama, music, plus the entire bus system, the school lunch program, teachers, custodial staff, administrators. If we, the citizens of San Juan Island can’t come up with this money by May 15th, something important will be cut. Not fluff, not fat, but the meat and bone of our public school system. This is a crisis, not of our making but courtesy of our legislators in Olympia. Their solution is that we sue them – no joke - to get their attention. Our solution was on display at a May 1st public school board forum I attended at the Middle School Commons. Superintendent Michael Soltman and Board Chair Boyd Pratt explained cuts that have already been made and potential cuts now being contemplated. They asked for ideas. San Juan Islanders were brimming with passion for our public schools and with solutions both to the immediate crisis and our chronic problem. Many of the attendees were parents with a stake in the system. It was also heartening to see that citizens without children in the public schools were also in attendance. All recognized the value of public education to our society and our future. Many found the will to do what our state legislature will not: by the end of the evening Islanders had donated $3610 to the San Juan Public Schools Foundation. Only $596,390 to go. Surely in the wealthiest county in Washington state, we can come up with that. Then we can sue the Legislature to uphold the state Constitution and fully fund the education of our children.
Bryn Barnard Combine administrationDear Editor, posted 05/06/2008 Michael Soltman has told us that "everything is on the table," that we need to cut nearly $850,000 from our budget next year. He said this is just the beginning, a bandaid with more and more cuts likely the following year. Why is no one asking about cutting salaries and benefits of the administration? On Orcas Island their district is looking at a $667,000 hole. In the present discussion surrounding the San Juan Island school districts fiscal shortcomings, I think the combining of administrative support needs to be evaluated. At the present the four districts in the county are paying in the neighborhood of $375,000 for superintendents alone. We have around 1700 students. By contrast Bellingham has 10,400+ students and they have one superintendent and a part time assistant superintendent, which make under $250,000 when combined. You add in all the other duplications and facilities and it is a significant amount of money. I believe that with current technology we as a county can keep our individual autonomy and still address the constant pressure to cut in all areas of the districts responsibilities. I have been told that everything is on the table, but haven’t seen this addressed at all. The E.S.D. 189 has a district restructuring committee that needs to be contacted jjenkins@esd189.org about how we as a concerned island community can help fund our schools and not lose the important part of the districts that really affect our students. We need to come together, as a county and perhaps unite our school districts. With today’s technology we can’t let the water around us divide us (a very weak excuse). Bob and Mary Elford Border Patrol checkpointsposted 04/23/2008
Richard Ledford Response to Critical Areas Citizen Review CommitteeTo the editor posted 04/18/2008
There are numerous issues under discussion that will directly affect how, and if, a landowner owner will be allowed to use their property. One example is item D. under the heading "working draft" in the material the San Juan Islander just published. The wording is, "Do we want to allow limited scale development within the outer portion of science based buffers (e.g. 150 to 285 feet from the shoreline)?" What this is saying is that the current 50 foot and 100 foot permit process and setbacks from the shoreline would no longer apply for new residences. A residence would no longer be an allowed exempt use. All existing homes within the new 150 foot to 285 "science based" buffers would become a non-conforming use. The existing residence and other improvements would be "frozen" and could not be altered. The affect on a property owner who owns an undeveloped shoreline lot is obvious. When combined with another aspects of buffers...no tree removal, no home construction...several outcomes are possible. One is that lots that are not deep enough from the shoreline become unbuildable. A second is that if the lot is tree-covered and deep enough, the home could easily be so far back in the trees that the shoreline homeowner would not be able to even see the water. For existing homes, the non-conforming status the proposal creates means that if the owner wanted to alter the home, add a garage, a studio, a guest house, conduct any activity that required a building permit, the permit application would have to be denied. No alteration of the property including tree removal or removing downed trees would be allowed. Similar critical area rules and buffers are being discussed for any property that has a year-round or seasonal stream, steep slopes or special habitats. Other examples are a 3,000 foot buffer, (2/3 of a mile), around heron nesting sites and a long list of other species related buffer requirements. This Critical Areas ordinance process is serious stuff. While the committee has a variety of viewpoints represented, the one thing that is striking is that to date, there has been virtually no citizen expression, comment or participation at the meetings. The potential affect on land use and the rights of property owners in San Juan County is far greater under this critical areas process than anything else that has occurred since the County became involved in planning under GMA in 1992. I hope people will take this letter as an invitation to come to the meetings, listen to the discussions between the committee members, get copies of the proposals from the County and voice their opinions. Respectfully,
John Evans Response to guest column by guest column by Janice Peterson.Dear Editor, posted 04/16/2008 Dear Ms. Peterson, You must know that there is no debate without two viewpoints. May I respond? 1. Your Guest Column was a bit ponderous and difficult to understand as well. 2. Nobody knows how all the changes in our marine environment today will play out in the future. We cannot arrive at a solution without first understanding the problem before us. This is one reason that we need a conversation now about preserving our aquatic legacy while we still have a chance to do so. 3. Leases are entered into knowing that they are temporary by nature. Renewals are always based on the situation on the ground at the time not by today’s conjecture. 4. Perhaps it is time for all of us to transcend the name-calling and accusations. Working together requires communication that will allow both sides to understand each other’s position in order to reach a compromise. 5. How would you lead? 6. What would good regulation look like? 7. These decisions will be long lasting and they merit more discussion as we go through this process of preserving some of what we still have. 8. All of your questions are important and deserve important consideration. This is the time to begin planning. 9. Debate Points Harm Most of the kelp beds around San Juan Island have disappeared or at least shrunk in size over the last 36 years that I have lived here. Herring balls are as rare as the chattering birds that used to follow them. Docks have appeared all along the seaside now and the eel grass seems to be having a hard time. The king salmon run disappeared last year. The PCB level found in our remaining bottom fish is high. We began pulling up cancerous crabs in Friday Harbor in the eighties. These are just my personal observations. Inherency or Blame Let’s make a better effort to understand the problem before blaming each other for what is happening. It may help to leave our attitudes behind us in order to make an accurate assessment of the situation at hand Significance At least we are acknowledging that there is a significant problem. More discussions need to occur in order to reach a significant solution. Persistence The list of troubled species just keeps getting longer. Cost You bring up the question of harming tourism. The most successful “reserve” in Washington Stare was created as an underwater park by the City of Edmonds. The reserve attracts thousands of divers every year. Since you recently arrived from Santa Barbara, you must also realize what a mecca the Channel Islands are for boaters, how successfully the Marine Sanctuary there has preserved species that long ago disappeared from the California Mainland. It is an example of responsible recreational boaters and a reserve working together for the greater good. Cure In this case it seems like a good idea to preserve the patient until a satisfactory cure can be found. Respectfully submitted by,
Lee Brooks Thank you from the Family of Bob BoyceDear Editor, posted 04/12/2008 The family of Bob Boyce would like to thank everyone for their kind words, cards, food and hugs. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful and caring friends. Thank you from the Family of Bill LyonsDear Editor, posted 04/06/2008 The family of William Porter (Bill) Lyons would like to thank everyone who sent a card, gave a hug and shared our sorrow over Bill’s passing. We truly appreciate all the support and feel blessed and honored to live among all you wonderful people. We would especially like to thank those of you who knew Bill and shared your memories of him with us. Thank you. Response to SJ Islands: Now Safer and More SecureDear Editor, posted 04/02/2008 We islanders already gloat over the low rate of crime we experience because, in part, the only way off the island is by boat, plane or ferry. Many islanders still leave their homes unlocked, keys in their cars in open view (some still in ignition), groceries in cars with windows rolled down without thought of tampering while shopping or, until recent years, watching a movie or play. When I go into Wells Fargo Bank, I enter waiting to be amused/awed by the Fort Knox-like surveillance system and never let down. My wife and I call our surrounding waters our moat with the daily TV news broadcasts of child snatching, drive by shooting, road rage, mall shooting, freeway gridlock, gang and random murder, kidnapping and all that other stuff the mainland offers as “advanced society”. Most people pay lofty sums for a house in a gated and guarded private community. Living here with possibility of a security check in Anacortes equates to exactly that: An expensive private community with security guards. Where else is such service freely provided to private citizens using state funds? Travel may be delayed but no real freedom infringement, save lost time, is provided so this argument fails--unless YOU are wanted by the police. Those who wave the flag labeling this as freedom infringement are saying, regardless how couched, they want to ensure criminals can get away. Would like to hear what tune they sing after they become crime victims and learn their perpetrator left Anacortes unchecked when screening would have been scheduled. I find myself starting to think that maybe all ferries should be checked—but I also have no reason for being arrested.
Terry Forsyth Rosenfeld's response to SAN JUAN ISLANDER EDITORIAL - We have nothing to fear...but councilmembersTo the Sanjuanislander Editor, posted 03/31/2008
I ended the public comment at the end of my list. Not because it was "council lunchtime"(I did mention that to say we were running over the agenda time). Not because it was Dennis. We needed to finish to give our staff a break and I said so. We ended 30 minutes over at 12:30 and we were going to reconvene on other matters at 1:30. But I kept the public meeting going unofficially so everyone, including Dennis’, could comment right up until Council resumed at 1:30. The reporter made an assumption to my motive that is absolutely untrue. I set the two-minute time limit before anyone, including Ary, spoke. He was about the only one who went over. I gave him extra time but it seemed like he was going to go on even after I said 2 ½ minutes. Everyone else used under 2 minutes and we were just able to get through the list. Again, my action had nothing to do with his pro spot check remarks. A number of speakers spoke to actions that would constitute civil disobedience. So I asked about it. The reporter made it sound like it was my idea. As to respecting the law: We fixed the membership on the Ferry Advisory Committee to 5, with 2 alternates. There will only be 5 voting and the PA says this conforms to the RCWs. The Orcas waterfront property issue has been put on hold unless it can be made to conform to the law. Most of the Council and most of the public at the meeting were having a hard time accepting this new reality of having to go through "spot checks" on domestic ferry runs. An opportunity to express this frustration and ask questions was provided. We questioned the law, we tried to find a way around the law, and we hoped the law would go away. It didn’t go away. We will have to obey the law. As someone said to me "get used to it". Howard Howie Rosenfeld EDITOR's NOTE: The delay in posting this response was because, we were hoping to post the video of the border patrol meeting along with the letter. However the county's hard drive crashed and the video was unavailable. It is being fixed on the mainland and may become available. If is does, we will post it so San Juan Islander readers can see what took place at the meeting. We stand by everything in our editorial. - Sharon Kivisto Land Bank Seeks Public Input on Turtleback Mountain Management Plan and Extends Comment PeriodDear Editor, posted 03/22/2008 We are eager to hear from county citizens about this community treasure we are charged with stewarding. While we are always open to comments from the public, this is our formal, organized effort to garner the thoughts of our fellow citizens on the best way to care for Turtleback Mountain. We seven volunteer commissioners, appointed by the county council, are charged with making decisions about land purchases and management, with the help of professional staff. As in the example of the Turtleback Mountain plan, we learn all we can about the features of the property, the ecology, the history and archaeology, species of plants, birds, mammals, amphibians, etc., which are present. We hire scientists and other consultants as necessary. The staff and Commission then review the information and, keeping in view the mission of the Land Bank, the reason for acquisition of the property, and the capacity and resources of the Land Bank, creates a draft Management Plan. At that point we seek the input of county citizens. The draft plan is published for public review and a comment period is advertised in the local newspapers. In the case of Turtleback Mountain, that period has been extended from March 31 to April 18. Public hearings were advertised and held in early March on Orcas, San Juan, and Lopez Islands to gather public comment on the Turtleback Mountain plan. Copies of the plan and the review period and hearing schedule are available at our website and at the Land Bank office, by phone or in person. One or more Land Bank Commissioners attends each public meeting and are happy to talk to people informally as well. The San Juan Preservation Trust played an heroic role in helping secure Turtleback Mountain with over 2000 individuals from San Juan County and well beyond contributing to the effort. The Trust holds a conservation easement on the property and their approval is also legally required for any final management plan. There are many opinions about the appropriate types of public access on Turtleback Mountain, but there is no question that public access has been and will be allowed. The final development of the Management Plan waits for the review of community response. Please help us steward the Mountain by sending us your thoughts by April 18.
Mary Blackstone Comments about the draft Turtleback Mountain Management Plan may be sent to:
Dear Editor, posted 03/22/2008 With Deep Appreciation, Matt, Jackie, Dustin, Tesa, Taylor, and Jordyn Johnson Kerwin, Margaret, Ben, and Vanessa Johnson Rick and Karen King Steve and Kelli King Greg and Natalie King Response to SAN JUAN ISLANDER EDITORIAL - We have nothing to fear...but councilmembersEditor, posted 03/22/2008 We claim to have "discovered America." This is preposterous. This land was populated from coast to coast when we arrived. The residents even helped us and taught us how to survive at first. Of course, this wasn't enough. We wanted more than they could or were willing to give, so we took it, by force. We dehumanized them, calling them Indians, then demonized them as savages and proceeded to wipe them out. What we couldn't accomplish through brute force, savagery, we accomplished through disease, through the introduction of alcohol, the introduction of guns. In only a few hundred years we obliterated a civilization that had thrived for millenia. Then we rewrote history to make them the bad guys. They didn't own the land. They lived on it. They lived in harmony with it. They didn't destroy it. In an incredibly short time, we managed to do that, with utter disregard for what had come before. We learned nothing. In more modern times, we, Anglo Saxon white people, carried that same mindset to other countries, all around the world. If we wanted what they had, we took it, by manipulation, coercion, and if that didn't work, by force. We have long had a heavy handed approach to the rest of the world. What does this have to do with border patrol checkpoints? In the last seven years, this heavy handed approach has come home to roost. Our current leaders, Cheney and Bush, (yes, that's the right order), sit at the very top of the corporatochrasy that they call democracy. They feel they have the entitlement to do what ever they want, to who ever they want, where ever they want. Laws don't apply to them, only to us. Their brand of leadership is accomplished through manipulation, through coercion and through brute force. Their very rise to and maintenance of power is highly dubious and suspicious. Terrible enough that this philosophy has been used world wide. We, the United States, have claimed the high ground when others invaded neighbors and or oppressed their own citizens. Think of Nazi Germany, of the Soviet Union, of South Africa and so on and on. This gluttonous power has now turned inward. Step by step, our rights and freedoms, held so dear, fought for and died for by so very many, are being taken from us. Now, we are all suspected of wrong doing, ironically, by a rogue and lawless regime. We are supposed to respect a government that stops and feels free to interrogate any and all in hopes of finding one wrong doer. If we resist, refusing to answer their questions, we are held under deeper suspicion and interrogated further. This is collective punishment. We are all presumed guilty until proven innocent, particularly if we are other than white. We expect this treatment at international borders, but not within the boundaries of the United States. The founding fathers, once they had turned a blind eye to the past, valiently created a system protecting its own citizens from abuse by their own government. The last seven years have seen this system deteriorate dramatically. Think again of Nazi Germany and the Jews and gypsies. Step by evil step, things got worse and worse. Absolute fear kept the people from resisting. People were afraid to even talk about it. Does this sound at all familiar? Now we seem to be scapegoating Hispanics, (Mexicans), making them look like the ruination of this country. We dehumanize them by calling them names. We demonize them by saying they are taking our jobs, selling drugs to our children, collecting our tax dollars through welfare. The jobs they take are jobs no Americans want, for pay and conditions that are substandard to say the least. Criminal offenses are conducted by a very small minority of Hispanics, legal or otherwise. I must add that far more U.S. citizens commit crimes than do the undocumented workers who we try so hard to demonize, who's only crime is illegally crossing our border in order to survive and make a better life for their families. I'm deeply ashamed at the treatment a number of our community's citizens have endured. The girl who's family was taking her to get a driver's license, for example. Think how excited she must have been. Then how terrified! This family was taken from home, school, friends, work, belongings, life, and for what? These people were not citizens of the United States, but they were citizens of our community and most importantly, are human beings. You know, Hitler wanted German youth to rat on their own parents and friends. I will not do that here. It is our patriotic responsibility to resist the direction this administration has taken. Thank you Friday Harbor for showing the will to do that. I love you! David Garfield RESPONSE TO Homeland Security Checks at Anacortes terminal 2-3 times a week for immediate futureDear Editor, posted 03/19/2008
Reasons why Immigration and Customs Enforcement Checks at Anacortes terminal must stop: We unfortunately live in a community that lacks diversity, lacks people of color, and that will become less diverse if these actions are to continue. Racial profiling by Immigration and Customs Officers is unavoidable as well as unethical. I fear that persons of color or with foreign accent will be excessively questioned and detained, creating an undesirable reality to living in San Juan County, WA. San Juan County, WA is still part of the United States! Though we like to think ourselves to be different, we are not leaving any national borders or entering into the United States when arriving at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal. No San Juan County Resident or Visitor should be subjected to the humiliation of questions of citizenship, detained for any length of time, surrounded by persons with guns and dogs. These actions create fear and anxiety among honest people and are much too familiar to scenes from countries, past and present, where the control of militarized states is used to oppress the people. This must stop! There are obvious economic consequences of delaying ferry traffic further, which creates an additional "hassle" for commuting workers and for tourists planning to visit during the summer. It might be said that "only 2-3 boats a week" will be searched, that these actions are only to find the "bad people." What will keep these actions from becoming standard procedure for all San Juan / Anacortes Ferries? What about the detainment and questioning of persons on any and all State Highways? How will the description of targeted, "bad people," be kept from one day describing a larger group of people within our community? Opposition to these actions needs to be expressed now. At no point may we as a community allow it to be said, "that the people of San Juan County do not oppose the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) check in Anacortes".
Owen Cheevers More Ways to save while traveling to SeattleTo the Editor, posted 03/18/2008 Q: Is there a way to get to the Northern Lights Casino near March’s Point without a car? A: Yes! SKAT route 513 stops at the Smoke Shop west of the casino. Let the driver know your destination. Q: Can we take well-behaved, leashed dogs on the SKAT bus? A: Unfortunately, no. All pets must be in carriers. Q: Where do I make the connection from Greyhound or Amtrak to the Metro bus to the airport? A: The Seattle Metro bus 194 express to Sea-Tac takes about 40 minutes. When the transit tunnel is open (weekdays 5am-7pm), the Greyhound stop is at Convention Place Station, 9th and Pine, and the stop for Amtrak is the International District Station, 5th and Jackson. Both are about a two-block walk. When the tunnel is closed, the stops are 7th and Stewart (Greyhound) and 2nd and Jackson (Amtrak). Route 174 also goes to the airport in about 50 minutes and has the same pick-up points. Fare is $2 peak hours and $1.25 non-peak hours. In answer to the excellent suggestion that SKAT, Amtrak schedules, etc. should be available at the library, I’ve donated a set of schedules including the Gas-Saver’s Guides to The Library on San Juan. They will be in a folder on the reserve shelf in a week or so. Gas-Saver’s Guides are also available for purchase at Griffin Bay and Harbor bookstores and Compost It in Friday Harbor and the University Bookstore in Seattle, with a new edition coming out soon for spring. Thank you all, and happy traveling,
Alison Longley RESPONSE TO Homeland Security Checks at Anacortes terminal 2-3 times a week for immediate futureDear Editor, posted 03/14/2008
QUESTIONS:
The same article mentioned above (in the weekly newspaper) said "local elected officials are nearing a boiling point" (tax paid) because of U. S. Border Patrol (tax paid) checks on vehicles and people departing the Washington State ferry at Anacortes. I suggest that those local officials (tax paid) should just put on their big girl panties and deal with their end of the problem be deciding which priorities they want to push. If they are in favor of supporting, tacitly or not, a greater influx of illegal aliens into our community then they should expect continued enforcement in various areas against those same illegal aliens. If they, and members of this community, decide that they would like to support local workers who are in the United States legally then perhaps there would not be so many illegal aliens here and the level of enforcement interest would ebb. It was put forth by another local official that "...the question is whether there’s racial profiling going on..." Golly – What is a border patrolman to think if he asks a person, "Where were you born?" and the response is "What?" in a foreign language. Then the border patrolman asks the same question in the individuals native tongue and the response is the country of their real birthplace. When asked if he/she is a citizen of the United States and he/she says "No" is the U. S. Border Patrolman (tax paid) supposed to put on a dunce cap and wonder what he should do now since the people are arriving from San Juan County? I am unaware of any provision of federal law that provides special exemptions for San Juan County. Yet another Councilman expressed a fear that border patrol checks would slow traffic, discourage tourism and create a climate of suspicion. Having lived and worked in border communities for much of my life, I know beyond doubt that those very issues do crop up when communities, for whatever reasons, support or condone the continued presence of illegal aliens and concomitant problems. Note that this letter would not have been written in response to an article that would not have been written without the continuing presence of illegal aliens in our community. In spite of all of the above, our local officials and The Journal explicitly decry the actions of the border patrol. Perhaps they should step up and be a part of the solution by deriving stances and policies that address the underlying true problem instead of symptoms of that problem. If you want the names and telephone numbers of some excellent workers who are here legally, let me know. Dennis R. Hazelton Thank you to VotersDear Friday Harbor Voters, posted 02/27/2008 Thank you all for the support!
Sharon Fishaut Strong Support for the County CouncilDear Editor, posted 02/27/2008 I, and many residents with whom I have spoken, have been thoroughly embarrassed, not only by these members of the ferry committee, but also by the vitriol of their supporters. On what possible level does kindergarten behavior such as this benefit any of us? It has certainly reduced our credibility at WSF (and we used to have some); it has made our County government’s job more difficult, and it has diminished those who engaged in it. The WSF has some real problems: their source of funding has been cut since the motor-vehicle tax was repealed, the price of fuel has doubled in the last two or three years and their boats are old and need replacing. Since we in the San Juans all depend on the ferry system, we had better find a way to work effectively with them instead of insulting and demeaning them. I certainly appreciate our Council’s having the guts to ask our citizen volunteers to represent us in a respectful, effective and productive way. Joanruth Baumann
Update on Kunya Village and Daniel Rateng in Kenyan ViolenceWe have had many people contact us worried about Daniel Rateng’ and the situation in Kunya Village in Kenya in the wake of post election violence there. Daniel is fine, as is the village itself, at least in terms of there being no violence there (there are almost no Kikuyu tribe members there to hassle) but the living and health conditions have worsened considerably. With the nearest source of supplies being Kisumu, one of the centers of violence and unrest, they have not been able to get drinking water, food, fuel, medical supplies, etc. Everyone has to drink the untreated lake water, even those that formerly could afford a chlorine treatment product. Therefore there is a spike in disease, especially Bilharzias, for all. The people of Kenya are caught between the wills of two intensely ‘strong men’. We were able to observe the behavior of each in person when we were in Kenya, and do not see a Solomon-like sacrifice on the part of either. It is the common person, to whom it matters little who will run the government, who is being so badly hurt in this tug-of-war. The money raised in Friday Harbor this fall for the clean water system is safe in the Village Volunteer’s bank account in Seattle. It represents about 50% of the final amount needed to solve this water problem. We are searching for grant opportunities to acquire the rest. Any leads residents may have for appropriate grants sources would be appreciated. Then, with the necessary funds, we will supervise the building of the water project, presumably after the current unrest settles down. Joanruth Baumann, Like Sun City, But Without The Sun?Dear Editor, posted 02/15/2008 Yep, all kinds of trades come to the island to work by the day. Sometimes because locals are too busy or lack the expertise. But just as often islanders hire them because they charge less. Off-island cost of living must be much lower if they can afford to spend four hours or so commuting by ferry to work out here, and still charge less. It is incredibly disingenuous to suggest that if they moved here they could make a go of it. How’s that work? We all gonna come down with a long term case of ‘Support Your Local Business’? Will it become law? Will we be fined for not using locals? They are precisely the people who are leaving, some after years of working here and in many cases making what would be a very decent living some where else. They still can’t afford to buy a house. They can’t get in the game. We all know someone who tried and couldn’t make it. At least for now, let’s stop pretending that’s an option. But hey, the boat floats both ways. If they can come here to steal our ‘high paying jobs’, we can go there and rustle up a few for ourselves. Local businesses may have to become more wage competitive, is that what they’re worried about? For the most part those businesses wouldn’t exist without a year-round population base. A now steadily fleeing/heavily taxed and grumpy/aging population base. By commuting to a high paying job it’s possible people could still live here, support local business, and have fewer discussions about affordable housing. This place is the attraction, we don’t need to hold people hostage. Are businesses concerned that islanders will go off-island to shop? Well those who already make a regular run to Costco will continue, but they sure aren’t going to haul their loot home on a passenger ferry. At least not a second time. So I don’t think businesses need to worry about losing their death grip on purchases long term. Plus the ferry that takes our students and worker bees over, will return with day trippers who want to eat, drink and buy stuff without the hassle of a ferry line. Good financial offset. (Though a summertime hassle for island commuters.) A passenger ferry would give college students of all ages quick (okay reasonable) access to a university. It would make it easier for those who go over for medical care. We all know this, we’ve been having that discussion for years. Bellingham has just tooled-up their medical system with a plan that is 20-years out, they should be sending the boat to fetch us! I do believe that having easy access to Bellingham, without having to live there, would make us a more attractive place to live. It works for Whidbey. I know, I know, "We’re not Whidbey!" (indignant voice) but you do know what I mean.... And did I mention, it may make it financially feasible for more, young, people to stay here. That’s a guess. I really don’t know if it would or not, and neither do you. But you jumped on the ‘protect business’ bandwagon and I’m afraid that will color your ‘study’. I vote for giving it a try. A real try, not a month or two teaser. More important, I vote for a study that confines itself to projected daily/annual round-trip passenger load, boat size and fuel cost, the nuts and bolts. I don’t think city government should be in the business of protecting business, it means somebody is left unprotected. Leave it to the Rotary Club. I realize islanders seesaw between expansion and contraction. We have a big hoist-the-drawbridge contingent battling an army of realtors. Sometimes they’re in both camps. Something has got to give. At this rate, we’re going to be a bunch of old people with ‘highly paid’ caregivers living on a rock. Which would be difficult and boring. And if it must come to that, on this Vitamin D deficient February day, I’d rather be bored baking in the sun at a less expensive 50+ community. Even if it doesn’t have a moat.
Mary Ellen Courtney Noxious Weed Board ressponds to Kaill's report cardDear Editor, posted 01/25/2008 Last spring Public Works hired Christina Newhall to perform weed removal and other duties along the county rights-of-way. Approximately one-half of her time is devoted directly to noxious weed control. During the summer she spent numerous hours removing tansy ragwort along the road sides of the four larger islands. At the end of tansy season, she was asked by the Weed Program to switch her weed control efforts to two plants, both relatively new to the island ecosystem, and spreading rapidly. Recently added to the County Weed List, spurge laurel and common fennel pose new threats. Spurge laurel is a toxic plant invading evergreen forest floors and oak savannahs. Common fennel can overtake open dry meadows. A concerted effort to control these species now may prevent them from becoming the tansy ragwort and Scotch broom of tomorrow. Along with removing weeds along public rights of way, Ms Newhall has taken careful notes on weed distribution, allowing us to coordinate our weed control efforts on public and private land by targeting specific areas to which we will direct educational materials and, ultimately, enforcement efforts. Sincerely,
Judy Jackson Response to MacLeod's reply to editorialDear Editor, posted 01/25/2008 Mr. MacLeod's response to the Islander's editorial nowhere suggests that he and the FAC owe the citizens of San Juan County an apology. Nor does he even admit that the meeting was not a legal meeting: indeed, he puts the term "illegal meeting" in quotation marks, as though that term were not correct. Mr. MacLeod, you and the FAC held an illegal meeting. Period. No ifs, no ands, no buts. No quotation marks about it. What's more, this was not inadvertent; you were told at the outset, apparently, that it was an illegal meeting, but you decided to continue anyhow. You and the other committee members apparently considered your task too important to bother with complying with the law. I have to wonder, when you were, as I understand it, the Managing Editor of the Seattle Times, whether that paper was so cavalier about public servants who violated the Open Meetings Act. I would be very sad to think so. Rather than carping, you in particular, Mr. MacLeod, should be appreciating and complimenting a news editor who is not afraid to bring the misdeeds of public servants to the attention of her readers. What is so hard about saying frankly and honestly "yes, we admit that we held an illegal meeting, we thought our business was too important to undergo the nuisance of complying with the law, but we were wrong, and we won't do it again?" What is wrong with saying "we didn't plan on holding an illegal meeting, we didn't set out intentionally to do that, but we did, and that was a wrong thing to do?" What, in short, is wrong with taking responsibility for doing something wrong? No wonder our children grow up with a confused sense of ethics and public morality when they see the leaders of their community not only acting illegally, but when caught at it refusing to take responsibility for their actions and apologizing to the public for them. Christopher Hodgkin Response to SAN JUAN ISLANDER EDITORIAL
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